Subject Specialist:
Law, Political Science, International Affairs
814-863-1347
e-mail: hms2@psu.edu
Helen Sheehy
Title: Head Social Sciences Library
Subject Specialist:
Law, Political Science, International Affairs
814-863-1347
e-mail: hms2@psu.edu
Note: [Penn State Libraries] indicates a Libraries' resource available to researchers with a Penn State Access Account.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (WPSA) [Penn State Libraries]
The best place to start. Some full text is available in the database. It also includes links out to E-Journal content through Get It!.
Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science) [Penn State Libraries]
no full text, but provides access to full text through Get It!. More selective in journals indexed than WPSA.
Project MUSE [Penn State Libraries]
covers journals in the humanities and social sciences.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) [Penn State Libraries]
Has some journal content covering international affairs. The best source for think tank papers with an international bent. Most content is full-text.
JSTOR [Penn State Libraries]
Does NOT have the last 3-5 years of most journals, but does contain long archives of key journals.
Citation Linker will help you determine if the article appears full-text in any of the databases to which the Libraries subscribe.
These sources will give you a general background about your country and its broad social and political environment to help you frame the reset of your research. Many will also give you general statistics and directory information about government officials. Print resources can give you the best and most concise picture of your country. Be sure to check the publishing dates to be sure you are getting the information you need.
Political Risk Yearbook [Penn State Libraries]
Lengthy analysis of a country's political and economic climate and risks, the Political Risk Yearbook is unique in that it provides forecasts on likely political and economic developments. Each Country Report focuses specifically on political and business information: finding developing markets, determining currency movements, preparing for capital investments, or making judgments about corporate security.
Political Handbook of the World
Annual survey of government, regional issues, and international organizations. Good source for background information about countries and organizations and for an overview of the year's political events. Includes some statistics.
Political Parties of the World
A country-by-country look at the major political parties. Lists web sites for parties if they are available.
Countries and their Cultures
A four-volume encyclopedia that focuses on cultures and countries around the world, specifically what is and is not shared culturally by the people who live in a particular country. Entries contain descriptive summaries of the country in question, including demographic, historical, cultural, economic, religious, and political information.
Armed Conflict Database [Penn State Libraries]
Provides an interactive source of information on a wide range of conflicts including terrorism, refugees, and returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), weapons flows, fatalities, costs ($ U.S.), historical backgrounds, annual updates and timelines. Users can generate reports and download data as well as browse through year-by-year analyses and fact sheets online.
Country Studies/Area Handbook Series (Library of Congress)
Book-length works covering the history, politics, geography, and economy of individual countries. Some are dated and therefore most useful for getting an historical perspective. To locate the these resources, search The CAT using Area Handbook Series as your search term. Some are available on the Web at the Library of Congress' Country Studies Web site.
Background Notes
Short (4-5 page) overviews of the government and politics of various countries. Prepared for U.S. Department of State personnel on diplomatic missions.
Post Reports
Designed for State Department personnel stationed at embassies and consulates, these can provide insight into a country, and are particularly helpful in that they describe some major cities as well as the country. Most recent versions are not available to the public, but previous versions are available via eDiplomat, a commercial web site.
Embassies and Consulates
Embassies and consulates often provide country descriptions and/or data (often in English) as well as links to government sites in their home countries. Some sources for lists of embassies:
Europa World Year Book
Contains brief background discussion of countries and international organizations, including history, government, politics, etc. Also provides brief statistical information.
Statistical Abstract of Latin America
Almost everything you could want in the way of statistical data on Latin America including election data at the provincial level for most Latin American countries. Some municipal-level data. Long-time series are also available.
CIS National Statistical Compendiums
The Libraries have many statistical abstracts from Latin American countries in print and in the CIS microfiche collection. Coverage of election data varies from country to country. Stop at the Social Sciences Library Reference Desk (2nd Floor Paterno Library) for assistance. These titles will also be useful for understanding the demographic characteristics of Latin American cities.
The following Libraries' databases are available to researchers with a Penn State Access Account:
LatinoBarómetro
An annual public opinion survey that involves interviews in 18 Latin American countries, representing more than 400 million inhabitants. Topics covered include: Economy and International Trade; Integration and Trade Agreements; Political Democracy and Social and Political Institutions; Distribution of Wealth; Civic Culture; Social Capital and Participation; Environment; Gender and Discrimination; Current Topics. Online analysis at the country level is permitted. More detailed analysis can be done offline using SPSS, SAS or other statistical programs down to the municipal level.
Latin American Databank [Roper Center]
Particularly good for public opinion data, these are raw data sets that must be ordered through the Penn State Libraries. Please plan ahead since the library must contact Roper to mount the data for downloading. You will need to be familiar with SPSS, SAS, dBase, or other statistical programs to manipulate the data yourself.
OFFStats — Official Statistics on the Web [University of Auckland (New Zealand) Library]
Go directly to a government's official Web sites for statistics.
Political Database of the Americas
"The Political Database of the Americas (PDBA) is a non-governmental project of the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at Georgetown University in collaboration with the Secretariat for Political Affairs of the Organization of American States, and with the support of other institutions in the region. Through its website, the PDBA offers centralized and systematized information about institutions and political processes, national constitutions, branches of government, elections, political constitutional studies and other subjects related to the strengthening of democracy in the region."
OAS Electoral Observation Section
"The Electoral Observation Section of the Secretariat for Political Affairs' Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation is responsible for organizing, implementing, and following up on all OAS Electoral Observation Missions (OAS/EOMs)." Check both the current missions and the archive.
Interparliamentary Union (IPU)
Use the Parline Database which has information on the structure of the national parliament and the results of the most recent election (at the national level).
Election World
The data in Election World is similar to the Interparliamentary Union (above) but also includes links to many of the national political parties on the Web.
Worldwide Governments on the WWW
While this Web site is somewhat dated, it can still be helpful for locating statistical agencies or electoral agencies by country if you haven't located them above. Information will be in Spanish. Translation services on the Web can be helpful.
World News Connection [Penn State Libraries]
This source is fairly selective in coverage and not all countries are represented, but it has the advantage of being translated articles from foreign newspapers and broadcasts. Check the source listing to see if your country is covered.
LexisNexis Academic [Penn State Libraries]
LexisNexis Academic allows you to search news stories by geographic areas.
PressDisplay [Penn State Libraries]
PressDisplay provides a global perspective on the World's events and news. It's the most convenient and complete way to read all your favorite newspapers on one site. Users will gain access to the electronic display of newspapers from home and around the world on the day they are published.
Project MUSE [Penn State Libraries]
Useful for journal articles in the humanities and social sciences. It has the full text of key journals such as the Latin American Research Review, Journal of Democracy, World Politics, and several human rights journals.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) [Penn State Libraries]
A comprehensive source for research in international affairs. Particularly good for working papers from think tanks, CIAO includes the full text of selected books on international affairs, working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from non-governmental organizations, foundation-funded research projects, and proceedings from conferences. It also contains abstracts and some full-text journal articles.
OxResearch [Penn State Libraries]
A "first draft of history" as it occurs. Provides succinct analytical articles covering world and regional economic and political developments of major significance. Evaluates issues and events within a coherent political, social, and economic framework. Contains objective, multi-disciplinary articles compiled by an extensive international network of over 1,000 faculty members at Oxford and other leading universities around the world, as well as think tanks and institutes of international standing.
Praeger Security International Online [Penn State Libraries]
Interdisciplinary and diverse in political perspective, Praeger Security International Online publishes material on international security, including defense and foreign policy, strategy, regional security, military history, and terrorism.
